How Music Works, by David Byrne. Three Rivers Press, 2017.
David Byrne is a founder of the band Talking Heads.
He explores music and the music industry. This is not specifically autobiographical, but he often draws on his experiences as singer and songwriter for examples.
He starts by looking at the context of music, then focuses on analog and digital technologies, and their impact on listeners and performers. In spite of claims about it, technology is not a neutral tool.
Byrne moves on to explore the business side: as the record labels become less important in the process of selling music, what are viable business models for musicians? (The record label system developed partly to fund the expensive recordings, which gave them control over many aspects.) Recording costs have shrunk, which has made it easier for more people to record and share music, but this [and copyright laws, I would argue] have hollowed out the money from the “mid-list”.
Then he looks at social aspects of music: What made possible the “scene” in which his band developed? How are amateurs involved in music? He closes by looking at universals in music, and how music relates to the physical world.
I found this book thoughtful and interesting throughout, and enjoyed it very much.